Perception Cannabis will join the 49th Ward office for a community meeting on Tuesday, March 14, at 6 pm to request its request for a Special Use Permit to open a dispensary at Clark and Lunt. 

After a long search for a suitable space to open its dispensary, Perception Cannabis is interested in opening at the former currency exchange located at 7000 N. Clark. The plans also include a parking lot so customers can easily access the business. The large footprint, prominent facade, and proximity to the new Wild Onion Cooperative make it an ideal location for a recreational cannabis dispensary. The dispensary would inject new life into a critical commercial corridor in the 49th Ward and encourage additional economic development in the area. 

Perception Cannabis is a social equity cannabis license holder; its CEO, Charles Cherqui, is a long-term 49th Ward resident. Perception is a majority Black-owned business and plans to hire from within the company. It is a bonafide Social Equity Startup, differentiating it from the major cannabis companies that operate across the country. 

7000 N. Clark is currently zoned as C1-2, so no zoning change is required. However, in Chicago, dispensaries are required to obtain a Special Use Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals in order to operate. 

My office will host a community meeting on the proposal on Tuesday, March 14, at 6 pm via Zoom. To register to attend the meeting, visit bit.ly/PerceptionCannabis. Spanish translation will be available.